William's Study
"How long did it take you to make it, Will?" his father asked, examining the delicate ring closely under a large magnifying glass on the table. The ring was composed of thin gold and silver wires intertwined in a perfect spiral, decorated with three tiny roses—two silver and one gold.
"Two whole hours," Will replied, nervously glancing over his father's shoulder. He was so engrossed in his work that he hadn't even noticed him enter the room. He barely gave him a few seconds to wipe the sweat from his brow before asking to examine his first creation.
"Definitely a very beautiful piece of work. As for the runes, they do their job, although they're a bit rough. Let me see."
"Increased resistance and minor protection. Being so delicate, it makes sense to want to increase its resistance to prevent it from being easily damaged. As for minor protection, it's enough to prevent a finger from getting cut while cooking."
"Although I'm not sure who would cook with such a pretty ring," his father continued, returning the accessory to its silk covering.
"It has your approval, Father," Will said in a more serious and formal tone, a hint of nervousness evident within him.
"Of course, from planning and design to manufacturing, you did a wonderful job." Uriel's tone revealed a gentle pride in his son's talent, accompanied by a satisfied smile, as his hands delicately closed William's sketchbook, which contained the measurements, appearance, and functions the ring would have.
"Phew," a sigh of relief escaped William's lips.
"With this skill set, you can already handle some smaller jobs," Uriel said.
"Cough... I've been very busy lately, you know, trying to use my skills—"
"I'll pay you a commission for every job you manage to complete." Uriel interrupted his bad lie before he could finish, smiling at his son as if waiting for him to take the bait.
"How much are we talking about?" Will narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Four figures, provided you do it on time and properly. I'll have to check every single piece before it's shipped."
"I'd love that, Dad. Yes, that way I can lighten your load a little." (So much money) Will thought to himself.
"Alright, come to my workshop tomorrow. I'll have the specifications for each item ready for you. I have to go to bed, and you should go to bed too." After saying those words and stroking Will's hair, his father left him alone.
Will hurriedly pressed the glowing screen in his vision [Receive Reward]. That screen had been glowing ever since he'd perfected the last detail of his first ring.
With a slightly blinding flash, an object fell into the palm of his hand: a delicate silver ring with a lifelike wolf's head right in the center.
[Grimm Ring][Allows its wearer to freely switch between Grimm form and human form, eliminating the need for emotions as a trigger for such a change.]
(It's like a werewolf not needing a full moon to switch between wolf and human form, how convenient.) Will grabbed the ring and ran to his room.
William's Room
The moment the Grimm Ring touched his fingers, a torrent of information flooded his mind. He glimpsed every part of the being called Grimm, from its bones and fur to its veins and every fang.
(I'm huge. Basically, a Grimm was an enormous black wolf, six feet tall, with powerful legs, a streamlined figure, muscles that seemed carved from steel, dozens of fangs as sharp as razor blades, not to mention those eyes that flashed in the dark.)
Will's hands never stopped drawing, capturing the image of the wolf's body that he had examined in detail in his enormous floor mirror. When he finished his pencil drawing, it perfectly represented its powerful figure.
(If this is a medium size, I don't know what size a large Animal Ring would be.)
A full week had passed since his first transformation into Grimm. William could switch between both forms with complete freedom; it took him only seconds.
(Thanks to my Grimm form, I'm now able to transform into almost any small animal, as long as it's not an aquatic or flying creature. I wonder what caused the Mission... mmm.)
(It could have been that old black book; its cover had a strange feel, it didn't look like ordinary leather.)
"What are you thinking about so much? You're excited to go to Nevermore this year." Catherine whispered softly, seeing him lost in thought, of course, if he stopped decorating his second slice of cherry pie.
"Of course I'm excited, but I was thinking about a strange book I found in the library, a black one that talked about wolves." (William)
"Ah, that awful black book. I thought I'd kept them all." Catherine frowned slightly. They were sitting peacefully in the front garden at a white table under a large tree, resting in its shade.
"Awful?"
"I never liked the feeling that series of books gave off. Let's just say it was unnatural. But your father loves them, so I couldn't just get rid of them." (Catherine)
"A series?...We have more of those books at home!!!" Will exclaimed, jumping up from the table.
"They're in the attic. I heard they were quite expensive to get."
"Thank you so much, Mom. I love you~" Without waiting for his mother's reply, Will hurried upstairs.
"He's just like his father." (Catherine)
William's Room
"So there are 8 volumes. Father managed to gather 5: Wolf, Bear, Hawk, Lion, and this one has no title and its pages are blank. I would suspect it was a fake if it weren't for its strange texture and the seal, two crossed spears."
Five books stretched out before Will, each black with its title in gold. They contained information about each species, but much less than what was contained in an "Animal Ring." Right after touching each one, four screens appeared before him.
[Mission Available, Content: *****] x 4
"That means I have to figure out how to trigger each one of them... mmm."
Will muttered, tossing and turning on his enormous white beanbag, one of the first things he'd bought with his new paycheck. In the last few days, he'd completed several orders for runic objects, all on time and perfectly. Even his father said his rune carving was improving; it looked more polished.
"Well, it's about time." He jumped up and hurried out of the house, dressed in black. He'd told his parents he was going out with some friends—a lie, of course; he had other plans for the evening.
After a brief goodbye with his parents, Will got into the Uber right outside his house.
(Wow, what an impressive house, nothing like my tiny apartment) the driver thought enviously before starting the engine and heading straight for the city center.
"So you have some exciting plans for tonight?" the driver said, trying to break the awkward silence.
"Not particularly," Will replied flatly. Seconds later, he put on his headphones; there was no point in talking to him, nor was he interested. After the driver coughed awkwardly, the ride continued in silence. Thirty minutes later, he found himself in the center of the bustling city, surrounded by dozens of people and cars passing by.
Dilapidated building
"Yes, Police Department, how can I help you?" (Operator)
"I have information about the three missing children. Five suspicious men have been loitering near my house. Just a few minutes ago, I heard screams coming from an abandoned building; they sounded like children's screams." (William)
"Can you give me your name and address? I'll send a patrol car to investigate."
"I'm on ***** **** Street." Will immediately hung up. "I should have about ten minutes before they arrive."
"Knock knock knock." Will knocked calmly on the door.
"David, do you want to open the damn door? I'm busy here!" an irritated voice came from somewhere in the apartment.
"Who the hell are you—" Aaaarghhhh!" The last thing David saw was a huge, dark mass heading toward him. He was thrown like a rag doll, slamming into the opposite wall. Blood trickled from his shoulder, which had been torn apart by powerful jaws.
Then silence reigned, as a huge shadow slithered inside, silent and completely calm.
"Shit-" The second dealer, before he could pick up his weapon from the table, was struck by William's jaws, which tore his leg apart before he was casually flung toward the enormous television mounted on the wall.
(Three more to go,) (William)
"Swallow this monster" "BANG!" "BANG!" "BANG!"
The third man yelled as he emerged from the first room, holding a shotgun, and fired multiple shots in Will's direction.
(Uwa, that's dangerous!) Will immediately dodged the bullets, quickly transforming into a black cat and hiding behind the armchairs.
"Chic chic chick." Where did I leave the damn bullets? Realizing he was out of bullets and couldn't see the beast anywhere, the man tried to run to his room where he kept more shotgun shells.
(Now) Will emerged from his hiding place and, without wasting a moment, tore at his back, his sharp claws exposing the bone beneath the flesh. His head slammed against the floor, knocking him unconscious.
(What a disappointment) The last of the five was lying in the bathroom, so drugged he didn't even know who he was. Will left him alone after slashing his thigh to prevent his escape.
"Ooooh, ooooh!" Will fled the scene after hearing police sirens in the distance.
"Good God," was the first thing the first police officer uttered as he crossed the threshold. There was a bloody mess everywhere.
"Hey, don't just stand there, he's still breathing!" his partner shouted, darting back and forth among the bodies. Everyone was breathing; some would never walk or hold anything again.
"The children are here, call an ambulance." Soon, the desolate building was swarming with police officers, ambulances, journalists, and television reporters.